Cambridge Letter

As usual the House contributed significantly to the C.C.F. during the year, with M. E. Wilson winning the Fernie Cup for being the best cadet. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme was supported by a few, C. P. Coates-Walker and S. J. Shilleto obtaining the Silver Award, and M. J. Hall, J. R. C. Taylor and J. R. Farrow gaining the Bronze.

There were also a number of academic achievements by the members of the House; P. W. S. De Silva won three prizes (Russian, Mathematics, and General Knowledge), S. M. Burn won two prizes (Drama and Debating), S. C. Wetherell won a Science prize and H. R. B. Pease won the Senior Art Prize.

Finally I must wish all those who left at the end of term good luck in the future, whether they have gone to university or straight into employment.

May Week, 1978

There must surely have been more O.P.s in Cambridge this year than for quite a few years past, ranging in status from those on lofty High Tables to those on the lowliest buttery bench in the University.

Not satisfied with nine years' residence in Emmanuel as student and Fellow, Angus Bowie (Temple, 1962-67), who is now a lecturer in Greek at Liverpool, frequently returns to Cambridge to pursue his researches in the U.L. Another perennial, or rather perpetual, visitor is John Mitchell (Temple, 1967-72); after four years of Law at Corpus Christi, this year has seen him in Guildford and London on weekdays and in St. John's or Girton every weekend. His contemporary, Andrew George (Temple, 1967-72), has also spent several weekends revisiting his old haunts and flames in Cambridge. Since leaving Trinity he has become an archivist, working at East Sussex C.R.O.

Of permanent residents, the longest serving member now is Richard Sharpe (Temple 1967-72) in Trinity, now completing his fifth year after having scraped a First last June. His second book, after being successfully launched at a Luncheon in Corpus, seems set to outstrip the first, which is still top of the best-sellers on Raasay.

Also doing research here are Richard Harland (Manor, 1968-73) and Phil Challis (School House, 1968-73) in their fourth years, and Paul Townsend (Manor, 1968-73) in his second. Richard, following his school experience with Xenopus toads, is now at the Medical Research Establishment, working on his Ph.D. Despite the Caius soccer blazer which he wears, he is a member of Clare. Phil, after his Tripos glories in Applied Biology, is completing a year's research into the wanton behaviour of sugar beet before going off to Lancaster University. His rowing career has in four years come full circle, from getting bumps and oars, through rowing over time and again, to being bumped four times this year in Trinity Hall's 1st May Boat. This year Phil has hosted our first O.P. event in Christ's, where he plays hockey in the time allowed off from his research into quantitative methods in architecture. 108

Chris Atkinson (School House, 1967-72) has returned from Siberia to continue his study of Russian, and was one of the hosts for an O.P. occasion in Caius, which coincided with his birthday; the excellent cake was rapidly demolished.

Eldest of our third-year men is Paul Withers (Rise, 1969-74) in Trinity, who turns everything he touches to gold. He rowed an unforgettable race in his second successful Goldie boat, and was a Wrangler in the Mathematical Tripos; he is now rowing for Cambridge Lightweights. Chris Smith (Queen's, 1969-74) of St. John's has made a dramatic come-back this year in "0 What a Lovely War" (again), and was type-cast as a rude mechanical in "The Fairy Queen". He startled everyone, especially himself, by his Tripos result, which bars him from the Nines Club. He now leaves for King's College Hospital, hotly pursued, as ever, by droves of women. This year found James Harrison (Queen's, 1969-74) in fine fettle; winning his war with the Dean, he has been a Foundation Scholar of Corpus and stroked the 1st Boat to six bumps in Lents and Mays. In November Prince Philip visited the College to be presented to him. Tim Stephenson (Dronfield, 1970-75) of Caius has finished his medical Tripos with yet another First, and goes on to clinical studies in Sheffield.

Mixed fortunes have been the lot of second-year Ian Heavens (Temple, 1970-75), who won his oars in Clare 4th May Boat, but was expelled from the infamous Clare-Homerton Badminton Club; O.P.s from throughout the land were dredged up for his unmentionable party.

There is now quite a gang of first-year men. Chris Harland (Manor, 1971-76) plays squash for the Ganders, while imbibing with the Clare Crabs. Also in Clare, the notorious Stuart Newstead (Queen's, 1971-76) has made his mark at arrers, cricket and footie. He is known around the folk-clubs for his dance with a lady and two scarves. Chris Hirst (Temple, 1971-76) of St. John's found his crutches a great hindrance in negotiating the zigzag paths of Bacchus, but has recovered with a vengeance and is back on top orienteering form. Graham Pattie (Temple, 1971-76), a member of the appalling Caius 3rd May Boat, stood as a joke for the J.C.R. Committee and for diving officer of C.U.U.E.G., but his record of service in Acapulco was insufficient to gain election. Our only contact with the aristocracy is Julian Turner (Queen's, 1971-76), stroke of Magdalene 2nd Boat, engineer and cravat-wearer. He hosted an O.P. evening in Magdalene, attended also by Simon and Paul Atkinson (Temple, 1968-73 and 1971-76 respectively), after which the revellers had to climb out of the College. Howard Gatiss (Queen's, 1971-76) reads some economics and tinkers with the new Metzler organ in Trinity. He shares an interest in the opera with Alan Heavens (Temple, 1972-77), who was host to a Rechabite's feast in Churchill. Confessing to having done nothing noteworthy in Cambridge—he spends half his time in Oxford—Alan is leading the rush of tourists to the now famous island of Raasay. Geoff Brown (Grove, 1972-77) has inherited the O.P. law books from John Mitchell via Chris Smith. He left them, however, to take an extracurricular interest in the medical profession, leading to a little affair at the Emmanuel May Ball.

At the opposite end of the scale, Guy Shuttleworth, himself a soccer and cricket Blue in King's (1807-10), joined our company for the abstemious term of Lent: his sparse fare on Magdalene High Table was supplemented, however, by Red Cross parcels from his 109